Poopdeck 0 Report post Posted April 28, 2023 Nice catfish! Is that a blue cat? It sure is blue in color. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caloosa bug 0 Report post Posted April 28, 2023 Yes sir. It's a blue. I did a quick search to see what the Florida state record was after I landed it. 69 lbs.. nope this wasn't a record, but a still a monster. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted April 28, 2023 That's one big ol' blue👍 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caloosa bug 0 Report post Posted April 29, 2023 Another Caloosahatchee River monster. This one was about a 4 1/2 ft gar on a spinning rod with 20lb braid. I tried to boat him to save my $15 lure. But I couldn't keep a grip around his tail to lift him in the boat. I had him around the mid section at one point against the boat. He didn't like that. That 5 inch lure in the 12 inch jaws lined with needles was too close for comfort. Finally my lure came free! I sat the rod down crabbed with two hands and dragged a 1/3 of his body up over the side of the boat on the back deck. Then he kicked and slipped off to the river. Oh well, big cat the other day, and big gar today.... at least I know my drag is performing as it should Today and tomorrow are the last days to keep a snook till September. I'll try again tonight, and tomorrow morning. Then I'll be on the hunt for big gills and bass. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted April 29, 2023 Very cool gar. I have always wanted to catch one of those. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caloosa bug 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2023 No snook on the last day of season. That's ok, a bunch of nice bass, and another big gar😬. It was an awesome last 1/2 hour of daylight, with strikes on the topwater plug every other cast. Then i caught the big one and figured that was a good way to end it, before the long 30 minute boat ride home. Just as I was coming into town I seen a fireball arise and cross the sky in front of me.Didn't realize there was a falcon heavy launch today. It was a pretty awesome sight from the boat. My phone wouldn't focus very well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted May 1, 2023 Here are two photos from a trip out of Flamingo last week... this is our best of the "baby" goliath grouper this season, estimated at about 40lbs... carefully released in a small river We added this 50lb tarpon to round out our day... Tomorrow I'm fishing two anglers, a fly angler up front, backed up by his partner with spinning gear at the other end of the skiff. I'm looking forward to it.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted May 16, 2023 Been doing some scouting looking for larger peacock bass than I'm currently finding out on the edges of the Everglades and ended up in local Lake Ida where once again all I'm finding are small peas... My first cast or two, working quickly with spinning gear out of my skiff ( a 5 and 7wt rods ready to go once I found my targets...) I hooked up solid on my first Clown Knife Fish (also called featherbacks locally...). It gave a very good fight for a solid five pound fish - here's a pic or two. Locally it's believed that they don't strike lures and you're going to need bait..... not so in this case... the lightest spinner on my skiff with 10lb braid the lure? A 1/8oz leadhead with plastic tail... I make them in all sizes up to 1/2oz for folks that order them in quantity.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niveker 0 Report post Posted May 17, 2023 Nice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted May 17, 2023 First time I’ve heard on an artificial!! You’ ll prolly get one on a fly at some point. No joy on my attempts but have tried on few trips down there. Even cheated and rubbed the shiner slime on the streamer. Canals south of Lake Ida Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted May 17, 2023 It was definitely a surprise - all I was doing was working a leadhead with a 1/8oz head in nine to ten feet of water right off of a residential dock - right on the bottom - very slowly, when it struck... I will say it gave a good fight on that light rod, jumping two or three times... My main focus, though, in freshwaters is the peacock - and the best peacocks are in places where you have no boat access (unless you live there and can launch a small craft off of your dock or seawall...). Frustrating... I did have fly gear aboard but not much time to fish so the quicker gear got the nod. I have spoken to one fellow that claims three or four on the fly so it may be possible. Pretty sure if I can figure out how to catch one on fly that I'll have folks standing in line for a shot at them. Peacock bass on the other hand will chase a fly until they can catch it.... Great fun - even with small ones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caloosa bug 0 Report post Posted May 27, 2023 Had a great morning with dad. We might have caught 15-20 bass. Biggest were 6.5 and 6.9. Of course the big one dad had on got away. Could have been 8+. I let dad run the trolling motor as we slow dragged big worms off of ledges. We had a blast. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niveker 0 Report post Posted May 27, 2023 Nice. Enjoy while you can, every second. My Dad can't get out anymore. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted May 27, 2023 Looks like a fantastic day with your Dad on the water. Like niveker said, enjoy it to it's fullest. I use to love fishing with my Dad. What I wouldn't give to be able to have just one more day on the water with him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caloosa bug 0 Report post Posted June 4, 2023 Caloosahatchee has been on 🔥. We caught some more nice bass this morning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
